In 2016, aged 48, I had a stroke. Now I'm coming out through the other side.

Disclaimer

BEFORE YOU START: Please note that although I currently volunteer for both the Stroke Association and Age UK, the views expressed in this blog are strictly my own. I am not a spokesperson for either (or, indeed, for any) organisation, and I accept complete responsibility for the views expressed herein. I've tried to use the Glossary to explain any ambiguous terms, but if you think there is anything I've missed, please message me.

Tuesday, 18 April 2017

UK General Election

This announcement of a general election, the timing is interesting. Already, the Conservatives appear to be framing it as a Brexit "Let's get on with it" vote, which of course deflects attention from the cuts being made in public services. It will be interesting to see if this succeeds or not - I suspect given the largely-Tory media that it will.

It is funny, they have used this tactic before - as a facade that they are a party of low taxation - with people either not realizing that low taxes is code for reduced public services, or realizing it and willfully being complicit in it. And this in the face of data which showed that these middle-managers were no more competent at managing deficits than middle managers before or since.

I don't pretend that my own situation has changed my overall view, but my experience is that somebody spends their whole life contributing to the system, and then a single event happens which makes them glad that some kind of safety net exists. In my case, a ballpark estimate is that this event (the stroke) cost something like £20k, plus taxes that I never paid because I was convalescing rather than working (probably the same amount or more). I'd venture to suggest that, without support from public services, this would be beyond the means of many people.

Labour, or indeed any opposition party, will do well to focus people on these cuts rather than on Brexit. Back in the days when common sense ruled, Europe was rightly seen as a nothing more than single issue which divided parties.

As an aside, if this goes through, it makes a mockery of fixed-term parliaments. Perhaps this means that legislation which attempts to bind the hands of future parliaments is doomed to failure?

Incidentally, my main issue is that I would like to see parliament with as much democracy as possible. I don't really see this in the first-past-the-post system, so any party which wants my support would need to be committed to change this.

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